1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an anti-tip mechanism for a free standing cabinet, and more particularly to an anti-tip mechanism for an open-front cabinet containing electronic components, with a forward sliding compartment.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Cabinets in which items are held in forward-moving structures such as shelves, drawers or bins, efficiently combine storage and accessibility. Such forward-moving structures enable the cabinet contents to be used without being removed from the cabinet by merely sliding the structure forward to gain access to its contents. However, this forward movement shifts the center of gravity of the cabinet and makes the cabinet prone to falling forward. Devices which extend in front of free-standing cabinets and stabilize the cabinet when these structures are in their forward position prevent tilting of the cabinet.
Such anti-tip devices are commonly incorporated into the design of home appliances, such as dishwashers. In the case of a dishwasher, the forward-moving dish rack rests directly on the appliance's horizontally-hinged, front access door. Two general solutions have been posed to counteract the appliance's tendency to tip forward in response to a downward force applied to the door or because of the weight of dishes in the appliance rack.
One approach has been to directly support the door of the appliance. U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,350 issued to Gurubatham discloses a panel, normally coplanar with the appliance door, which moves linearly forward to a supporting position under the fully-opened door. This panel moves on a spring-loaded cable system attached to the door and rear panel. The cable system is mounted on the interior of the appliance cabinet. A pulley and lever connection causes the panel to move forward in response to the opening of the door, and to retract upon closing the door. The use of this particular anti-tip device is dependent on the availability of space within the cabinet to house the cable system, and is appropriate only to support a single, horizontally protruding structure.
Disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,727 issued to Race et al. is another approach specifically designed for appliances with horizontally hinged front access doors. An arm which moves in a forward and downward direction in response to the opening of the appliance access door braces the cabinet against forward tilting. Operation of the arm is afforded by a series of springs and levers within the cabinet. In its tip-preventing position, this arm forms a hypotenuse across the right angle created by the front of the appliance and the floor.
Although these mechanisms suffice to support a single forward-moving structure, that is, the horizontally hinged appliance door for which they were designed, they do not accommodate multiple forward-moving structures. The complexity of these mechanisms not only precludes multiple installations in the same cabinet, but also contributes to difficulty in installation and maintenance.
A stationary anti-tip structure is illustrated by the "OPTIMUM Modular Packaging System" made by the Gichner Systems Group. This structure is an extension of the cabinet floor several inches beyond the front of the cabinet. This permanent structure is visually unappealing and, more importantly, obstructs floor space in front of the cabinet and access to the cabinet interior. The extension in front of the cabinet creates a shelf-like structure which cannot be used for storage because to do so would obstruct the opening of the cabinet door. Furthermore, this shelf-like structure collects dust which is drawn into the cabinet by air currents created when the door is opened. Whereas access to the cabinet contents is only sometimes essential, most of the time the passageway in front of the cabinet is in use. Obstruction of floor space by anti-tip means which are necessary only infrequently is a very inefficient use of costly and valuable space.